Audrey Hepburn Stars in New Role--Saving Souls

--War in Sudan has taken such a devastating toll that “all that seems to be left is their souls,” said Audrey Hepburn in an emotional plea on behalf of victims of civil strife in the African nation, where the actress concluded a four-day tour of refugee camps. “I take with me so many images. Images of newcomers staggering into the camps with absolutely nothing left at all . . . “ Hepburn said on a brief stopover in Nairobi on her return to Europe. Hepburn, the UNICEF goodwill ambassador, told of a desperate need for food and water as relief efforts try to stem the wave of deaths. The United Nations estimates 250,000 people starved to death in southern Sudan last year because of the war and another 100,000 will die this year unless the relief effort can proceed unhindered.

--He had an often-Dickensian childhood in London and achieved immortality through Hollywood, but it was in Switzerland that Charlie Chaplin spent the last 25 years of his life, giving the Swiss village of Corsier-sur-Vevey special impetus to heartily celebrate the comedian’s 100th birthday Sunday. “His films leave us a poignant message of justice and equality,” said Swiss President Jean-Pascal Delamuraz, who spoke at a ceremony dedicating a park to Chaplin, who is buried in the village near Lake Geneva. Thousands watched an hourlong procession that, naturally, featured lots of baggy pants and bowlers.

--Intense scrutiny and sweltering Florida heat didn’t wilt Britain’s Princess Anne, who remained cool and unsmiling throughout a 15-minute press conference in which no one was allowed to ask the question on everyone’s lips--is her marriage breaking up? Buckingham Palace had demanded that reporters restrict their questions to equestrian subjects as a condition of her appearing before the press at the Volvo World Cup Finals of show-jumping in Tampa. At one point, the princess, being closely watched by 100 reporters, remarked, “it’s quite hot here,” drawing snickers from the media. Organizers had warned that they would halt the questioning if anyone asked about purloined personal letters written to the princess by a handsome aide to Queen Elizabeth II. The letters have fueled speculation about her 15-year marriage to fellow equestrian Mark Phillips.